The Orioles, to say the least, had a pitcher-heavy draft. Of their 38 selections through the 40 rounds, they drafted 27 pitchers. The Orioles' first five selections yesterday were pitchers. At one point, the O's drafted 11 pitchers consecutively in rounds 16 through 26. "We did want to target the strength of the draft, which was pitching. We were going after as much pitching as we could get," Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich said tonight. Yesterday, Rajsich said he was surprised...

The Nationals are hopeful that third baseman Anthony Rendon will return to the lineup Sunday after missing one game following his removal from Friday night's contest after taking a Carlos Quentin grounder off his right hand. But the Nats will wait a little longer for left-hander Gio Gonzalez to be activated off the disabled list. He'll get one more minor league rehabilitation start after being battered around in an outing for high Single-A Potomac on Friday night. Manager Matt Williams told...

Kevin Gausman brought some serious heat to Oakland's batters in the first inning, and Adam Jones stayed hot at the plate with a solo home run in the bottom half. Gausman retired the Athletics in order on 18 pitches, getting a called third strike on Josh Donaldson on his third 98 mph fastball of the at-bat. He also reached 98 mph while retiring leadoff hitter Coco Crisp on a fly ball to left field. Gausman's fastball also hit 97 mph several times. (Donaldson, by the way, was booed upon...

In the second game of the Orioles-A's series tonight here at Camden Yards, Kevin Gausman (0-1, 11.25 ERA) pitches against right-hander Sonny Gray (6-1, 2.45 ERA). Gausman was 1-3 with a 2.98 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Norfolk. Gausman will be making his second major league start of this season, the seventh of his career and his 22nd career big league appearance. Gray has given up seven runs in 12 2/3 innings over his last two starts. But on the road this season, he is 3-0 with a 1.25...

SAN DIEGO - Anthony Rendon is out of the Nationals lineup Saturday night, one day after taking a Carlos Quentin grounder off his right hand. Rendon left the game after the fifth inning. Initial X-rays were negative and manager Matt Williams will surely provide an update before tonight's game against right-hander Andrew Cashner and the Padres. Kevin Frandsen is playing third in Rendon's place with Ryan Zimmerman remaining in left field. Also, Danny Espinosa is in the lineup after being hit...

As expected, Tim Berry's stay in the majors leagues was short this time. He was optioned back to Double-A Bowie this afternoon. Kevin Gausman took his roster spot and will start tonight. Berry knew his time could be short in the O's clubhouse, but before he was officially optioned, he told reporters that this was a special experience for him. "It's kind of indescribable," the 23-year-old Berry said. "We were in Portland (Maine) and Gary (Kendall) called me and said I was going to the...

Not much to report at Camden Yards before tonight's game against the Athletics. No news is... no news. The Orioles made their roster move official, recalling pitcher Kevin Gausman from Triple-A Norfolk and optioning left-hander Tim Berry to Double-A Bowie, which is in Portland, Maine, through Sunday. None of the current Athletics have faced Gausman. Chris Davis is 2-for-2 against Oakland right-hander Sonny Gray. Catcher Matt Wieters threw again today on the field. That's his fifth game of...

The Orioles today announced that they have recalled right-hander Kevin Gausman from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned left-hander Tim Berry to Double-A Bowie. Gausman is scheduled to start tonight's game against Oakland. Gausman, 23, has pitched to a 2.98 ERA (42.1IP, 14ER) in 10 starts for Norfolk this season. Berry, 23, was recalled yesterday and did not appear in last night's game. He has gone 3-3 with a 4.12 ERA (63.1IP, 29ER) and a career-best 3.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 starts for...

Nelson Cruz is starting in right field tonight and Nick Markakis is serving as the designated hitter, as the Orioles attempt to even their series against the Athletics. David Lough is in left field. Caleb Joseph is behind the plate and Ryan Flaherty is starting at second base. Update: As expected, the Orioles have officially optioned left-hander Tim Berry to Double-A Bowie to make room for right-hander Kevin Gausman, who starts tonight. Berry was called up for the first time Friday and did...

SAN DIEGO - This will probably make you feel old. The Nationals have selected Ryan Ripken, Cal's son, with their 15th-round pick in this year's draft. The 6-foot-6 Ripken played at Indian River State College (Fla.) last year. The first baseman was taken by Washington with the 454th overall pick. He hit .321 with one homer and 24 RBIs in 42 games this season. Ripken was originally taken in the 20th round by the Orioles in the 2012 draft before accepting a scholarship to play at the...